Sunday, May 3, 2009

Menopause Help With Aromatherapy

Many women who experience perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms are finding relief through aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is an alternative treatment, which offers menopause help and is very pleasurable to the senses. It can induce positive side effects that help us cope with both psychological and physical ailments. Studies have found that essential oils have chemical components (IE. Esters, alcohols, aldehydes, terpenes, etc) that can produce specific effects on both the body and mind.

Aromatherapy uses essential oils to stimulate the power of our sense of smell. Certain aromas affect our moods and emotions and can have a significant impact on the way we feel. Many believe that smell is detected when it enters through the fine hairs that line the nose, known as the cilia, and travels to the limbic system. The limbic system is the area of the brain that has control over our emotions, mood, memory and learning.

How can aromatherapy specifically help menopausal symptoms? Aromatherapy has been known to provide relief for a number of menopause hormone-related symptoms including mood swings, hot flashes, headaches and disruptive sleep. The following is a list of menopausal symptoms and some of the essential oils that are considered beneficial for treating each:

• Overall hormone balance: sage; roman chamomile; geranium; fennel
• Hot Flashes: peppermint
Massage oil: lemon; sage; clary sage; geranium.
• Headaches: lavender; marjoram
• Mood Swings: lavender; linden; cypress; patchouli
• Vaginal dryness and irritation: tea tree; geranium
• Insomnia: lavender; linden blossom; violet; dill; sandalwood; chamomile; oregano; neroli; mandarin; valerian
• Fatigue: lavender; violet; white thyme; Spanish sage; rose; pimento; oregano; ginger; nutmeg; pine
• Depression: bergamot; nutmeg; clove; red thyme; ylang ylang; rose; Spanish sage
• Muscle spasms: carrot seed; lavender; jasmine; cinnamon; petitgrain
• Stress: carrot; Roman chamomile; lemongrass, neroli
• Anxiety: geranium; lavender; Spanish sage; German chamomile; coriander; vetivert; ylang ylang; rosewood; oregano; geranium; marjoram; frankincense
• Osteoporosis: Bath oil: chamomile; fennel; thyme; hyssop; lemon; ginger
Massage oil for joints: nutmeg; carrot; Roman chamomile; ginger
• Loss of libido: rosewood; rose; myrtle; sandalwood; jasmine; celery; cumin

How to use aromatherapy - Aromatherapy is a safe alternative medicine. You can burn it and have its scent fill the room, bathe in it, massage it into your skin, or wear it as a perfume. You can enjoy the scents individually or combine them. Best off all; you can use it whenever you want, as often as you want.

However, make sure you follow these few rules before using aromatherapy treatment:

1. Read all instructions before using any product
2. Never apply essential oils directly to the skin unless the instructions explicitly say it is safe to do so.
3. Never ingest essential oils

Due to the fact that essential oils are powerful they can cause irritation. Therefore, the safest method is to dilute the essential oil in a bath, in an oil burner, or purchase it as massage oil.

What to consider when purchasing oils - Studies have found that the quality of the essential oils matter if they are being used for therapeutic purposes. You should only purchase oils that state "pure essential oil" on the product. Although this means you may have to pay more, it's worth it. You can find oils and burners at a variety of online stores and in local health stores.

Personalized aromatherapy - One of the great aspects about using aromatherapy to treat menopausal symptoms is you can create your own special scented treatment. Purchase a journal and experiment with a variety of scents and aromatherapy methods to find out which ones you like the most and provide you with the best relief. Write down how you respond to each scent to determine what the best aromatherapy treatment is for you.

Finally, remember that if you are experiencing painful or chronic symptoms that are disrupting your life, seek medical attention for more menopause help.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/women's-issues-articles/menopause-help-with-aromatherapy-99477.html

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